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The article looks at the implementation of the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. It says major provisions of the law take effect as of 2014 and discusses potential problems that health care experts are concerned about as the law is implemented. It notes that the major changes will affect the minority of Americans who do not already have health insurance coverage through an employer, Medicare, or Medicaid. It discusses the state insurance exchanges the law provides for, saying they require complex computer and administrative systems and expressing concern about whether enough healthy individuals will buy health insurance through them. Other topics include insurance companies setting of premiums, state politics, and U.S. President Barack Obama.

The article discusses the support being given to U.S. health insurance industry reform by Wendell Potter of advocacy group Medicare for All. Topics explored include the decision of Potter to resign from health insurer Cigna to expose the tactics of health insurance companies, the affordability of Medicare for All health insurance premiums that business leaders need to understand according to Potter, and the response of Potter to the opposition expressed by some businesses to Medicare for All.

Like a fever that will not break, health care premiums continue to climb relentlessly, yet remedies have been hard to come by. Employers, for the most part, have accepted ever-rising expenditures as the price of good employee relations. And federal regulations designed to control medical costs have proven weak. The road to recovery begins, this author tells us, when a health maintenance organization, or HMO, enters a community, because its prepayment approach upsets the medical profession's conventional fee-for-service rules. Thus it quickly evokes competitive responses from other health care providers, who must become equally cost-conscious or lose their market share. HMOs need advocates, however, to spread as rapidly as their potential warrants. Drawing on recent events in Richmond, Virginia, the author shows how a city's business leadership can become the catalyst for changing the health care system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will have hearings on improving the health care system under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in September 2017. Topics include the problems in the Obamacare health care system, the increase in insurance premiums for 2018, and the Republicans' failure to repeal and replace certain portions of the Affordable Care Act.

The article looks at health care costs in the U.S. for 2014 and suggests these costs could increase and spike, despite projections for slow increases in health plan costs and health care premium rates. Topics include the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its impact; price inflation and service utilization; health care fees and taxes; and employer health care premium rates.

An article is presented, detailing the structure of healthcare subsidies awarded as a part of the U.S. Affordable Care Act. Included is the topic of the cliff problem of non-graduated subsidies, which means that small differences in income can result in large differences in subsidy, as well as the overall structure of the law, and the glitches in the Obamacare website.

The article cites the difficulties facing New Jersey businesses in meeting double-digit increases in health insurance premiums and their concern over the effect of the health care reform legislation on health care inflation in the U.S. Joe Olivo of Perfect Printing claimed switching to a new plan failed to lower premiums for his employees. He added that pay increases are compromised due to premium increases. Also noted is the cost benefit of conversion of claims to digital. INSETS: Nursing high premiums;Wellness programs keep J&J fit.

The author emphasizes the need for health care reform in California. Patients and physicians prefer evidence-based standards for appropriate medical care. Insurance premium costs are rising faster than real wages. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger released a statement signaling his plan to veto the State Senate Bill 840 which would have insured Californians while controlling medial care costs.

The article looks at health care reform, focusing on how employer insurance plans can be affected by new health care laws. The author recommends that employees should review their health care plans carefully for preventative services, increases in premiums, and coverage for adult children. Incentives for maintaining good health are also discussed. INSET: An Update for People on Medicare.

The article discusses elements of the proposed U.S. health care reform. Under the new health plan it will be mandatory that all individuals enroll to receive health coverage. Individuals receiving health insurance through an employer will not have to change plans, and premiums will not be based on age, but will be determined by gender, credit rating and personal information.

The author discusses how health care (HC) reforms could affect the way financial benefit advisers do business in the U.S. He shares his perspectives about the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which mandates the part of premiums insurance carriers must spend on HC. He also comments on the way brokers in the small - and medium-sized markets are being compensated.

This article assesses the impact that the health care reform law would have on the dental benefits market in the U.S. It references a survey which shows that people with employer-sponsored family dental insurance would drop their dental benefit if premiums were taxed. It commends the proposed tax exemption for dental insurance. The article also notes that dental plans and dentists are disappointed with the health care reform law.

The article emphasizes the importance of reforming the U.S. health care system, stating that the high cost of healthcare premiums has prompted companies to increase co-payments and deductibles for their workers. It notes that the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has allocated $630 billion of the national budget for over 10 years to finance health care reform. It also proposes that a new health care reform bill must be able to provide universal coverage and a public insurance plan that would serve as an alternative to private insurance.

The article looks at the efforts of insurance companies to use U.S. healthcare reform to tighten their physician networks. It is said that this trend has accelerated since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, under which payers are using narrower networks to keep insurance premiums lower. It discusses legislation pushed by the American Medical Association on variations of the any willing provider laws. Options available for physicians after being dropped by payers are also highlighted.

The article looks at the status of Obamacare under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Critics of the Affordable Care Act claimed that it causes health insurance premiums to increase. Trump pledged to replace Obamacare and urged Democrats to join his reform effort. The Trump administration is blamed for the falling health insurance market because of his move to order agencies to use legal power to dismantle Obamacare.

The article discusses healthcare reform and what providers can expect as more patients pay out of pocket. Changes in healthcare discussed include the preference for high-deductible health plans (HDHPs), conversion of programs to state exchanges, and denial of coverage due to non-payment of premiums. Also discussed are patient education on coverage and financial responsibility, and ensuring an effective revenue cycle management.

The article discusses how employers need assistance from employee benefit advisers to navigate the private exchange marketplace in the U.S. Topics covered include the broker's main role of bringing the exchange solution to clients, the very little innovation in health insurance as premiums continue to rise, and the understanding that health care reform was about access and affordability.

The article reports on the efforts of the U.S. Republican Congress to repeal parts of the Affodable Care Act (ACA). Topics discussed are the need for Republicans to rely on a budget reconciliation process to pass a health care bill, potential result of a rule banning insurers from turning away those with pre-existing medical conditions, provision of the bill to undo Medicaid expansion, possible decline of premiums via deregulation and likelihood of insurers to design plans for healthy buyers.

The article offers information on the American Health Care Reform Act and discusses its provisions. It mentions that due to increased health insurance premiums and access to health care facilities under the U.S. Affordable Care Act, the health care law should be reformed so as to provide lowered costs and increased access to the highest quality health care for all Americans. It mentions that the Reform Act maintains high standards of patient's safety and reforms medical liability laws.

The article discusses the impact of the health care law to small businesses in the U.S. It states that employers are exerting strenuous effort to understand the implications of the enacted government takeover of health care on their businesses since it will raise health insurance premiums, hike taxes, and make it more difficult to survive in a tough economy. It notes that the law also requires small business owners to file 1099 form for each purchase of goods or services of 600 dollars or more.

The article focuses on the hearings to be conducted by the U.S. Congress to question and make health insurance companies justify their plan to increase their premiums in 2010. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius admits that the scrutiny over the rate hike is in line with the health care reform bill. Regence Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oregon had requested to raise its rate for individuals by 20%. It is said that the largest proposed hike is the 39% of Anthem Blue Cross of California, which will be postpone until May 2010.

The article discusses issues about healthcare reform in the U.S. It states that the healthcare reform debate in the Congress focuses on the rising cost of healthcare and the number of uninsured. It reveals that health insurance premiums were nearly five times higher than inflation and almost four times the rate of earnings between 2000 and 2007 because they increased 114%.

The article reports that customers of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, who prefer to re-enroll in insurance plans would automatically default to cheaper coverage during sign-up periods. Topics discussed include the number of people covered by Obamacare insurance plans through October 15, 2014, an increase in premiums by 10 percentage on average in 2015 according to consulting firm Avalere Health, and an increase in the number of people insured under Obamacare in 2015.

The article discusses several unanswered questions related to the U.S. Affordable Care Act (ACA). One question is about the number of people with new insurance coverage who will pay their premiums. One question is about the number of new Medicaid enrollees who will be freshly eligible for the expanded insurance program for the poor under the ACA. One question is about whether more insurers will sell policies on health insurance exchanges.

The article offers information on how the administration of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner was able to minimize the impact of the move of U.S. President Donald Trump to stop paying the cost-sharing subsidies to insurers under the Affordable Care Act. Topics covered include the move of the federal government to absorb the cost of the silver plans sold to subsidized buyers on the exchange, and the proactive approach Rauner took to keep the playing field level for all insurers.

The article discusses a debate about a provision in the health care law that specifies how much of the health insurance premiums should be allocated to group and individual coverage in the U.S. The insurers are accused of negotiating with the legislators to reduce the requirements for the medical loss ratio (MLR). The MLR puts a limit on the administrative expenses, premiums and profits of the insurers.